


The Western Shore

by thealphagate_archivist



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Angst, Drama, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-22
Updated: 2006-03-22
Packaged: 2019-02-02 02:05:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12717480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thealphagate_archivist/pseuds/thealphagate_archivist
Summary: Jack and Daniel journey to the west, taking things to a deeper level.





	The Western Shore

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the archivists: this story was originally archived at [The Alpha Gate](https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Alpha_Gate), a Stargate SG-1 archive, which began migration to the AO3 in 2017 when its hosting software, eFiction, was no longer receiving support. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2017. We e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are this creator and it hasn't transferred to your AO3 account, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Alpha Gate collection profile](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/thealphagate).

  
Author's notes: Death Fic. My take on how Meridian could have ended. Someone dies.  


* * *

"Your attention please, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of Capt Halnaddah and the crew I wish to welcome you aboard Gulf Air flight 607 to Cairo. As we are preparing for takeoff please ensure that all hand luggage is stowed in the overhead locker or under the seat in front of you, that your seat back and tray table are in the upright locked position and that your seatbelt is fastened. Attendez-vous, s'il vous plait, Mesdames and ..." The flight attendant's voice blended in Jack's mind into the growing background hum of the jet's engines powering up for its defiant dash down the runway.

Jack O'Neill had fastened his seat belt as soon as they had taken their seats. After his years in the Air Force there was no way he could be described as a nervous flyer, however he did experience the ghost of an apprehension when ever he wasn't the one at the controls.

He turned away from the attendant's performance at the front of the section to look at Daniel in the seat next to him. Daniel had his head down reading. Jack read the title at the top of the magazine's page "Same-sex desire, conjugal constructs, and the tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep by Greg Reeder".

Below the title was an image that Jack recognised from the postcard that Daniel had given him when they had first gotten together. It was of a wall painting of two Egyptian men embracing. Daniel had written a poem on the card.

Jack marvelled at the fact that in the six months since Daniel had given him the poem his whole life had changed in ways that he once would not have believed possible. He reached into his pocket and removed his wallet. Having slid his fingers under the photo of his son Charlie, smiling out from the plastic window, he located and removed the folded postcard. He opened the card, examining the image briefly, then turned it over and read again the words Daniel had written there.

My perfect Brother. We journey along the river together, its sinuous body embracing the Black Land (Kmt) not unlike how my body embraces yours. The inundation bringing joy to both of us. It seems that it has been this since the first day. I fear no snare or danger while you are my companion. I fear only our separation should I travel to the western bank before you, I will keep keen watch for you and the western land will seem as nothing after my kisses.

The words caused a chill to slip down Jack's spine. Weren't they on their way to visit the western land, the western bank of the Nile now? Jack folded the card and slipped it back in his wallet. He slid his hand under the armrest and placed it on Daniel's thigh feeling the strength and warmth of his lovers body through the fabric of his pants. Daniel looked up from his magazine, a smile easing back the corners of his full lips. He placed his hand over Jacks and squeezed.

"Happy?"

Jack twisted his wrist so that the palms of their hands were now clasped. "I couldn't be any happier," he said, his smile matching Daniel's, "unless of course these business class seats came with a privacy curtain."

* * *

By the time Jack and Daniel arrived at their hotel in Cairo they were too tired to do anything but shower and fall into bed. Jack slept till nine the next morning, but awoke when Daniel closed the door upon returning to the room.

"Where have you been?" Jack mumbled without turning over or lifting his face from the pillow, "What time is it?"

Daniel sat down on the bed carefully placing two small cups down on the bedside table. "Coffee", he said, and removing a folded newspaper from under his arm he slapped Jack across the rump with it, "English newspaper and, jangling something near his ear " the keys for the luxurious rental car that is going to get us to Saquara.

"You've thought of everything haven't you," Jack said, rolling over and pulling Daniel down on top of him.

After a series of kisses that lasted several minutes Jack pulled his lips from Daniel's.

"So why are we here, Daniel?" he said quietly, reaching up to straighten Daniel's glasses.

"We agreed, Jack. Id spend two weeks at the cabin with you, and you'd come and see Saquara with me." Daniel said, disengaging himself from Jack. Sitting up on the edge of the bed he picked up one of the small cups of thick, black Egyptian coffee and passed it to Jack then claimed the other for himself.

After taking a sip, and pulling a face at the strength Jack said, "Yea I know Danny, and that's fine I'm just wondering what's so important to you about us going to Saquara? It can't just be because it's got cool tombs. This place is special to you for some other reason isn't it?"

Daniel sipped his coffee thoughtfully. "Its kind of difficult to explain, Jack, but you're right Saquara is important to me. Maybe when we get there I'll be able to explain it to you better." He put his empty cup down and relieved Jack of his. Grabbing Jack's obvious hard-on through the sheet he lent forward and forced his tongue into Jack's mouth.

'He certainly knows how to distract me when he wants to,' Jack thought, 'and typical Daniel, he's not going to tell me till he's ready to.'

* * *

Daniel brought the car to a halt in front of the hotel and dust swirled about the vehicle like an army of furious djinns. As it settled it was replaced by a noisy crowd of children yelling greetings in Arabic and fractured TV English. Jack laughed as he attempted to open the car door and get out without knocking any of their reception committee over. Daniel spoke to the kids in Arabic and then tossed a handful of plastic ballpoints in the air to distract the hoard.

Seizing the opportunity Daniel opened the trunk and they removed their bags and climbed the steps to the front doors of the King Unas hotel. Before entering Jack caught sight of a boy, older than the rest, dressed in a white Jaballa, standing across the road watching their arrival. His face caused Jack's breath to catch in his throat. He hadn't thought about Skaara, for a long time. He'd stored that sadness away with the memory of Charlie, his son, another boy he'd failed to save. Jack felt the same icy insect trail track down his neck and spine, an intimation of death. The boy turned away and walked down the street.

Daniel came back and touched Jack's shoulder. "Everything okay, Jack?"

He shivered and forced a smile. "Yea fine, lets check in."

Jack removed his sunglasses as they stood in the deep shade of the tiled entrance hall of the old hotel. There was nobody standing behind the battered wooden desk, but voices could be heard from somewhere deep within the building, and they were coming closer. After a minute or so a grey haired woman dressed in black emerged through the beaded curtain behind the desk. Looking up and seeing Daniel she let out an exclamation and clasped her hands together, then spreading her arms wide ran forward around the desk to embrace Daniel, speaking faster than Jack's rudimentary Arabic, picked up in an Iraqi prison, could follow.

"Daniel, my son at last you've come," exclaimed an old man emerging from the same doorway.

Jack became disoriented by the introductions, as Daniel was speaking in Arabic and the old man, spoke English in a manner that could have been taught to him by Noel Coward.

The old couple, Farouk and Marika, were obviously very fond of Daniel, and once Jack had been introduced they embraced him with equal affection. After much hugging and cheek kissing the two guests were led through the beaded curtain into what Jack assumed were their host's quarters.

* * *

"Well I'll say this for your friends, Daniel, they aren't going to let us starve," Jack said, undoing his belt and lying down on the huge four-poster bed. "I couldn't eat another thing if my life depended on it."

"Its typical Arab hospitality," Daniel replied lying down on his side beside Jack.

"Plus they're crazy about you," Jack added, placing his hand on Daniel's cheek.

"Yes they are, and I love them. They've sort of been like surrogate parents ever since I met them," Daniel said, turning his head to nuzzle Jack's hand with his mouth.

Jack turned to look at Daniel, "When you introduced me to them you called me something that I didn't understand?"

Daniel leaned over resting his head on Jack's chest listening to the heartbeat. "I said this is Jack O'Neill my beloved brother, there isn't a direct translation in English but my beloved brother would be close."

"They think I'm your brother?"

"No Jack, it doesn't mean that, it's a term that implies a loving relationship between two unrelated men."

"And they're alright with that?"

"Well they did give us this room with just one big bed, it's a very beautiful and subtle culture," Daniel replied, sliding his leg over Jack and starting to undo the buttons of Jack's shirt. "Come on, lets get some sleep, we have to be up early tomorrow to get out to the site before it gets to hot."

"We won't be getting to sleep any time soon if you keep that up," Jack said, as Daniel fumbled with the buttons of Jack's fly.

* * *

The dawn over Saquara was so clear Jack thought it was like being present for the first moments of a newborn world. He and Daniel sat, arms around each other's waist, on the hood of their car watching the sky shift gradually down the spectrum from inky violet to deep blue and then through pink and orange to gold and white. At the same time the enormous bulk of the step pyramid of the Pharaoh Unas loomed out of the retreating darkness like a flying mountain that had come to rest next to them.

"I wish Teal'c and Carter could be here to see this," Jack said.

"Yes, we've been through the danger and pain together it would be good if we could share the good times more often."

Daniel kissed Jack's cheek and slid from the car. "Come on, Jack, my butts going to sleep sitting here, and there are things to see."

They walked towards the ruins of the mortuary temple at the edge of the necropolis.

After exploring the ruins they had made their way to the edge of the wadi that bordered the site. The sun had risen and was quickly raising the temperature on the plateau.

"So where are we going?" Jack asked, as he followed Daniel, scrambling down the side of the wadi.

"You'll see" Daniel replied.

By the time they reached the bottom they were both covered with fine dust. Daniel stopped and took a swig from his water bottle and handed it to Jack.

While Jack was taking a drink Daniel walked away and seemed to disappear.

"Hey where'd you go?" called Jack

Daniel stepped smiling out from behind an enormous boulder. "C'mon, Jack this is it."

Jack screwed the cap back on the water bottle and walked around the boulder. Daniel was standing framed in a tall doorway made from large stone blocks covered in orderly rows of hieroglyphics, behind him a passageway disappeared into the darkness.

"Um, I'm impressed, who said you never take me anywhere classy?" Jack said, moving forward to run his fingers lightly over the carving.

"Come on," Daniel laughed taking Jack's hand in his and entering the passageway.

The way wasn't as dark as Jack had expected. The light of the rising sun followed them down the gently sloping floor of the passageway. Ahead of them a wall, which at first appeared blank in the gloom, seemed to burst into growing life as the rays of the sun illuminated it.

Jack could make out the form of two large figures carved into the wall.

"They're the two guys on the card you gave me?" Jack said with surprise.

"Nianknum and Knumhotep" Daniel replied.

"Excuse me?" Jack queried.

"That's their names," Daniel said, moving his hand over the hieroglyphics running either side of the pair. "Nianknum means Khnum has life. Khnumhotep means Khnum is satisfied, the name Khnum itself means "joined together" and "to unite with" and "companion, friend", and here their names are combined into one to form one name, sort of a hieroglyphic way of saying they were a couple and would be together in the afterlife."

"So these guys were...?" Jack asked

Daniel nodded, "Just like us." He took Jack's hand and led him further into the tomb.

Daniel switched on the large flashlight he had brought with him as they entered the burial chamber. He swung the beam of light slowly over the depictions of the lives of the two men carved upon the walls, moved it over the two sarcophagi and then let it come to rest on the large carving upon the back wall.

Jack and Daniel stood in silence for an indeterminate time before Daniel spoke. "They wanted to be together forever in the afterlife so they had themselves portrayed in this embrace, it's meant to last for eternity."

"So they're still together over there somewhere?" Jack said quietly.

"That's the idea." Daniel replied, paused then said, "Jack this is the place where I first started to realise I loved you."

Jack was about to reply but Daniel stopped him with a gesture of his hand.

"I hadn't believed that I could ever love and be loved in a way that could last, that love wouldn't be taken away from me. I was given a message here that to achieve this sort of love I had to take a chance, to risk, to love first."

Jack's eyes were filling with tears. "Daniel, I don't have the words for this sort of stuff, but I know without any doubt or hesitation that being with you and being loved by you means more to me than anything else in my life, and if I have any say in it at all it will be this way forever. Daniel I love you."

They embraced, their lips joining as they sunk to the cool floor making tender love before Nianknum and Knumhotep in their eternal embrace.

* * *

Jack sat on the plastic chair in the infirmary anteroom. His head was in his hands and his exhausted mind hovered somewhere between waking and a dream like recollection of a cool desert tomb.

"What was that, sir?" Sam asked, getting up from her seat and placing her hand on Jack's shoulder.

Jack slowly raised his head and looked into her concerned face. "What?"

"You said something, something about an embrace."

"Nothing just something Daniel told me about." Jack said softly, rising and stretching his arms.

Janet Fraiser came through the door, which led to the infirmary. Jack and Sam both moved towards her.

"Let's sit down," Janet said placing her hand on Jack's arm.

"I want to see Daniel first." Jack said, pulling his arm away.

Janet shook her head, "Colonel, Jack please we need to talk."

Jack looked at Janet then at Sam who nodded. Jack sat down, Janet and Sam taking a seat either side of him.

"Daniel has gotten extremely weak, the naquadria radiation is shutting everything down, circulation, his organs." Her voice trailed off.

"Go on." Jack mumbled.

"His pain is reaching a stage that the only way I can control it is to give him dangerously high doses of medication. The pain relief could well send him into coma, and kill him. One high dose would be enough." She stopped and looked at Sam and then back to Jack. "Do you understand what I'm telling you Jack?"

After a minute he stood up. "I understand."

Sam placed her arm around his shoulder.

"I don't want him to be in pain, do what you have to do," Jack said staring directly into the doctor's eyes.

Janet nodded wiping away the tears that had begun to run down her face.

"If we do it now how long will it take?" he asked.

"A few minutes, not long." Janet replied softly.

"Come on" Jack said turning and walking into the infirmary.

* * *

It's strange, Daniel thought, he felt like he had crossed over some line where the pain seemed to have just become a retreating darkness on the margins of his senses. He could also make out a light, above him, somewhere, and the sound of someone's voice nearby, speaking to him. It was a familiar voice, Jack's voice. Jack, he loved Jack. What was Jack saying?

"Always love you Danny, always, but let go now it will all be right soon, just let go."

Just let go, Daniel thought, let go...always love you.

Now the light was fading in a red gold swirl, like, like the sun setting, and Daniel felt himself...gliding. Yes that was the word gliding, as if he was on a boat skimming over the surface of a smooth lake or river. He was approaching someone, he couldn't see them but he felt,... waves of ...love coming from them to him and he could smell something, a perfume, tamarisk.

He was now beside whomever it was and heard a familiar voice.

"You have crossed the flood and reside now in love. Rest now and wait but a short while. He will join us. One has become two, and two will become three, and finally three will be one. There is no time here on the eternal western shore, only love and completion."

'Rest, yes' thought Daniel 'at last here I can rest, from the pain, struggle and doubt. Rest here with Sha're and wait for Jack.

* * *

Janet re-entered the room and moved to check the monitors. She looked up at Jack lying motionless next to Daniel on the bed, staring into the distance his arm across Daniel's still chest

"He's gone, Jack," Janet said, quietly placing her hand on Jack's.

Jack sat up and looked down at the face he had known in antagonism, friendship and finally love, bending forward he placed his mouth to Daniel's slightly parted lips kissed them then whispered.

"I'll see you in the west, Danny."


End file.
